Urge Georgia Officials to Remove At-Risk Animals From Bryan County Hoarder

Georgia Animal Rescue & Defence Inc. (GARD) is a self-proclaimed “no-kill animal shelter” in Pembroke. Like many other home-based “no-kill rescues,” GARD is in fact a hoarding facility—a place in which someone has amassed a large number of animals, failed to provide for their basic needs, and denies that anything is wrong. In August, the president and director of GARD, who lives at and owns the property where GARD is located, was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals. News reports indicate that she has a history of arrests for violating animal welfare laws in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Appallingly, authorities failed to remove the animals from her property.

After the arrest, a reputable organization in South Carolina called Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary removed dozens of pot-bellied pigs from the GARD property, with the owner’s permission. Rescuers reportedly found more than 30 pigs in two small, overcrowded pens without adequate shelter, mired in mud nearly a foot deep. The pigs were unable to run, play, or root, and they were fed species-inappropriate cat food and dog food thrown directly into the mud. The sanctuary director allegedly found the decomposing remains of two pigs: One appeared to have been a nursing mother discarded less than 10 feet away from a fenced pig enclosure, and the other was in a wheelbarrow about 20 to 30 feet away from live pigs. One of the surviving pigs was found to have buckshot embedded deep in his flesh—he had allegedly been shot and left to die alone. According to news reports, officials at the Georgia Department of Agriculture have acknowledged the history of abuse allegations and stated that GARD “should not be taking in any new animals.”

Despite the arrest, the order to stop taking in animals, and the removal of some animals with GARD’s permission, reports indicate that approximately 70 animals remain on the property. GARD is reportedly preventing rescuers from removing certain animals, and we are told that the director recently claimed to have “put some dogs down.” Based on witness complaints, PETA has asked local law-enforcement officials to conduct an immediate search of the property, seize all the animals, and file any further criminal charges as deemed appropriate. So far, however, our urgent pleas have been ignored—and the sheriff is deflecting responsibility onto the community and compassionate animal advocates who don’t have the resources or the legal authority to remove the victims from the custody of their alleged abuser. We need your help urging officials to seize all remaining animals at this property and ensure that they’re placed in safe hands for assessment and appropriate care.

Please send a polite, respectful e-mail to the following officials. Then follow up with a phone call and a message via Facebook to each.

The Honorable Mark Crowe
Sheriff of Bryan County
[email protected]
912-653-3800

Jason Smith
Companion Animal Program Manager
Georgia Department of Agriculture
[email protected]
1-855-424-5423
404-656-4914

Please feel free to use our sample letter, but remember that using your own words is always more effective.